Is there any doubt

[uconnfan68]

about how much Kia Nurse brings to this team? Going to be a couple of tough games until she's back.

 

[Zorro]

Boy you nailed THAT one!!!

 

[Lynx23]

Kia has always brought intangibles to the table, things that can't be seen or measured (e.g., leadership; cohesiveness; a certain calmness, not to mention physicality; etc.). Sometimes an individual's true value to a team only becomes evident when they are not present. Geno downplayed the significance of her absence in the half-time interview and mostly blamed a subpar performance on a lack of execution. Of course this is true in large part but I wouldn't dismiss her importance to the team (not saying he really does). Clearly her absence made a big difference or perhaps this game was just an aberration. We'll soon see.

 

[dtbtbtb]

Truth to be told, this team needs all of key players to be successful and more so the core 4...

 

[Gus Mahler]

I feel certain the Tulane guards would have made fewer jump shots had Kia been in. And there would probably have been more and better passes to the interior.

 

[uconnfan68]

I feel certain the Tulane guards would have made fewer jump shots had Kia been in. And there would probably have been more and better passes to the interior.

Both Saniya and Crystal were responsible for Napheesa's offensive fouls.

 

[housekeys]

I am not sure how many here also follow the UConn men's basketball team. Either way, you now know what it is like to have a key player injured and the impact it has on the team. It is not just about points/assist/rebounds etc. It affects every aspect of the team, especially the chemistry and the impromptu redefinition of the roles on the team. For the men, they had 2 major players out for the season, so tonight I really appreciate how they have responded. But it is all part of the game and the women responded very well against a tough Tulane team.

 

[Buzzyboy]

Kia has always brought intangibles to the table, things that can't be seen or measured (e.g., leadership; cohesiveness; a certain calmness, not to mention physicality; etc.). Sometimes an individual's true value to a team only becomes evident when they are not present. Geno downplayed the significance of her absence in the half-time interview and mostly blamed a subpar performance on a lack of execution. Of course this is true in large part but I wouldn't dismiss her importance to the team (not saying he really does). Clearly her absence made a big difference or perhaps this game was just an aberration. We'll soon see.

Of course, she's important but who in the starting lineup isn't? We have a short bench and Kia is a seasoned player who plays good defense and has offensive skills that can't be ignored by the opposing defense. How would that not hurt the Huskies, to an extent. This team really can't function at it's best with any of the starters hurt.

 

[Plebe]

I have said it before multiple times, and here goes again: Kia is the ultimate glue player that every coach would kill for and is necessary to have a successful team. She may accumulate gaudy stats or attract All-American votes but she brings all those intangibles that win games: toughness, composure, communication, leadership. I'm reminded tonight that term "glue" is particularly appropriate, because we saw a very disjointed team with their glue player.

Kristy Wallace plays a similarly crucial role for Baylor. She won't be named an All-American, and she's perhaps less indispensable because of Baylor's tremendous depth, but she brings many of those same intangible qualities that Kia does.

If you want to know what a team of great individual players with no glue player looks like, look no further than Ohio State.

 

[StephStorrs]

As Plebe said, they were playing without their glue player tonight. Kia's game appears as much off the stat sheet as it does on. She provides a mental and physical toughness, invaluable leadership qualities both through running the court / directing traffic and on the bench / in the locker room, grit, and the willingness to do whatever it will take to get the win and make her teammates better. She's a player I would imagine that coaches love to coach. She's a team player, and probably the very definition of it.

She may not throw up 20+ points a game. She may not pad the stat sheet. She may not garner individual praise and awards. She may not make it onto the wall. But Kia Nurse brings invaluable things to this team and it's going to be tough without her. Her absence is felt. After tonight, I really hope there's no doubt about what she brings to this team. It wouldn't surprise me if there was, but I really hope there isn't.

 

[HardHatGuy#2]

Both Saniya and Crystal were responsible for Napheesa's offensive fouls.

Well...Napheesa has to take some of the blame, but I get your point. That one pass by Saniya was horrible, and she knew it. HOWEVER...one thing you learn as a post is when NOT to go after a rebound/block/drive; Pheesa has to let that ball go and set up to defend after the turnover. I am quite sure CD will be covering that, this week.

 

[HardHatGuy#2]

about how much Kia Nurse brings to this team? Going to be a couple of tough games until she's back.

There's a good reason that she's on the hat; she does all of the dirty work that nobody sees.

 

[ctfjr]

Both Saniya and Crystal were responsible for Napheesa's offensive fouls.

Especially that one where Saniya 'led' her right into the defender

 

[Phillyconn]

about how much Kia Nurse brings to this team? Going to be a couple of tough games until she's back.

Relax. We just came off of a big win. First game without KN. Chemistry was off and we played a little tight. It's been a long season with a short bench. Tulane played their butts off. Perfect storm. We will play better as we get used to playing without KN.

 

[Lynx23]

Of course, she's important but who in the starting lineup isn't? We have a short bench and Kia is a seasoned player who plays good defense and has offensive skills that can't be ignored by the opposing defense. How would that not hurt the Huskies, to an extent. This team really can't function at it's best with any of the starters hurt.

Of course you're right. I had those posters in mind who have continued to question Kia's value to the team, this year and last, because her numbers aren't gaudy, the thought being that she could be replaced without missing a step (e.g., Chong and Dangerfield would start this year). They couldn't be more wrong. Regardless of how well the team does going forward without her, if this game doesn't prove the point then I dare say that those who don't yet "get" her never will.

 

[veryolddog]

What the Tulane game shows us, is that this team is really fragile. Take one spoke out of the wheel and the wheel is wobbly. There really is very little depth. Fouls, off nights, fatigue, mental let downs, can and will cause a catastrophic result resulting in defeat. I think that this is what Geno was referring to in the earlier part of the season when he said that they were on the verge of a loss that did not come. Perhaps, this is the wake up call that he had hoped that they would receive.

We sit here, warm and comfy, and these young folks have to practice and meet competition at least twice per week. Not so easy even if you are 20 years old and going to school at the same time.

 

[Bestiarius]

While there is no doubt Kia is an important cog, I believe last night's struggles had more to do with Coach Stockton's game plan and player development.

 

[uconnfan68]

Well...Napheesa has to take some of the blame, but I get your point. That one pass by Saniya was horrible, and she knew it. HOWEVER...one thing you learn as a post is when NOT to go after a rebound/block/drive; Pheesa has to let that ball go and set up to defend after the turnover. I am quite sure CD will be covering that, this week.

I was referring to the cases where the pass led her into defenders. Either the pass was late, or ill-advised. Saniya knew it immediately... not sure if Crystal did.

 

[easttexastrash]

While there is no doubt Kia is an important cog, I believe last night's struggles had more to do with Coach Stockton's game plan and player development.

If I'm not mistaken, Kalani Brown had considered Tulane st one point.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Gabby was missing her "partner in crime" and it showed on the floor.

 

[tomcat]

If, as I suggested previously, Gabby is the straw that stirs the drink, maybe Kia is the glass the drink comes in. I know, I know. I just tortured a metaphor mostly to death, but I just had to say it.

 

[JoePgh]

Definitely the Temple game will be a "tell" to see whether Tulane was a one-time glitch or a recurring problem. Temple is really a good test, since they have been playing very well, and their style will expose any lingering weaknesses.

Pending evidence from the Temple game, however, I think the hand-wringing on this board is overwrought. Let's not lose sight of the fact that UConn started the Tulane game 10-0, and had a similar run at the beginning of the second quarter. In the third quarter, the lead was as high as 16. And let's not also forget that Tulane made some circus shots -- a bank-in 3 and another 3 at the end of the third quarter that bounced several times before dropping in. Despite that, Tulane only scored 60 points, shot only 36%, and was outrebounded 34-24, so I don't think you can say that the defense or the rebounding effort was poor -- or that Coach Stockton found some stroke of genius to attack the UConn D.

The UConn offense was poor in its results: 38% shooting (19-for-50 and 6-for-20 from 3). That and Napheesa's foul trouble were the reasons why the game was close. The question is whether that poor shooting was a reflection of the offense's inability to generate good looks, or the fact that those good looks didn't result in shots that dropped. My "eye test" tells me that it was the former and not the latter. If so (assuming that the team as a whole has not lost the ability to make open shots), then the law of averages should take hold in the next few games and restore sanity.

It is true that Kia's 40%+ 3-point shooting average, and her passing ability, might have added 5-8 points to UConn's scoring and gotten the team shooting percentage above 40%, but I doubt if the impact would have been greater than that.